6 things you need to know about witch markings, according to an ancient graffiti expert

You can find them in churches, chapels, cottages, caves and barns

By
Sally Coulthard

Nov 2, 2018

PA/historicengland.org.uk

A few years back, I was cleaning our old stone threshing barn in preparation for renting it out to a sculptor who wanted the space as a studio. It has soaring ceilings and pale, lime-plastered walls, but it had been unused for years – the only occupiers the swallows that return every summer without fail.

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Inside, it was filthy and, shamed into a thorough clear-out, I began brushing the plaster to remove decades of cobwebs and farmyard grime. Broom in one hand and gripping the ladder with the other, I reached up to the highest parts of the walls, only to discover that, as the dust fell away, a pattern appeared.

It was a circle, the size of a dinner plate, inside which someone had delicately and accurately scribed a daisy. To its left, a few metres away, another circle appeared, and another, until I'd uncovered a frieze of six beautifully etched designs. "How lovely," I thought, "that someone went to the trouble of decorating a barn with such pretty patterns." And left it at that.

That was until last October, when a picture of something that looked exactly like my 'daisy wheels' appeared in the newspaper, with the headline: "Public Asked to Record Witch-Markings on Halloween".

Solomon's Knot at St John's Church in Duxford

historicengland.org.uk

1. What are witch markings or hexfoils?

It turned out that my patterns were, in fact, a type of ancient graffiti known as 'hexfoils'. These, and other historic scratchings, are found in barns, churches and other rural buildings, carved into walls and wood to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune. What's more, they're old. Really old. Possibly medieval and part of a story that stretches back into a darkly lit corner of British folklore.

2. Who put them there?

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As in all great detective stories, archaeologists are now trying to uncover the 'who', 'why' and 'where' of the strange scribblings. For centuries, these carvings lay largely unnoticed – often too faint to be seen by candlelight or mistaken for mason's marks – until in 1967 a Cambridge academic, Violet Pritchard, published a paper about the strange carvings she'd noticed in nearby rural churches.

Although still a niche area of research, interest in ancient graffiti has grown, thanks in large part to archaeologist Matthew Champion, whose recent book Medieval Graffiti revealed that, far from being destructive scribbles, it has value and purpose.

'Daisy wheels' in a Saxon tithe barn in Bradforn-on-Avon

PA

3. What do they mean?

In today's society, we view graffiti as mindless defacing but, according to Matthew, ancient inscriptions are, in fact, a window into the past: "These early graffiti inscriptions had both meaning and function. A far cry from the random doodling of an alienated generation, they were the prayers, memorials, hopes and fears of the medieval parish."

They come from a time when a belief in witches and superstition was part of everyday life. People constantly sought protection from evil spirits, witches or their animal familiars. "The world was full of dangers, both physical and spiritual," Matthew explains. "These markings were made simply as a way to make it a safer, less hostile place; the front line in the defence of the soul."

Men and women would scratch specific symbols as an act of devotion or to evoke good luck – the most common is the daisy wheel, or hexfoil, a pattern with endless lines that were supposed to confuse and entrap evil spirits. Other common marks that appear are pentangles (five-pointed stars) and the letters VV or AM, often intertwined, which refer to the Virgin Mary. Other more pictorial marks have been uncovered, from sailing ships to monstrous demons, musical notes to windmills, all representing voices from the past hoping for the safe return of a ship, a plentiful crop or protection in the afterlife.

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Hexfoil on a barn in Suffolk

historicengland.org.uk

4. Where are you most likely to find them now?

Previous research had focused on graffiti found in churches, where it was more likely to survive untouched by renovations or demolition. But as work continues and more markings are uncovered, it seems they are absolutely, gloriously, everywhere. Chapels, cottages, caves, agricultural buildings – from the lowliest cattle shed to the houses of the great and the good – symbols have been discovered in locations as diverse as the Tower of London, Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon and Somerset's Wookey Hole.

They also cover a huge period in British history, appearing to continue well into the 18th century. Dating ancient graffiti can be tricky, however, as Matthew Champion explains: "In many cases you simply can't be too precise." Just because a mark is carved into medieval stone doesn't make it medieval. "In some cases," he continues, "there appears to be a tradition of repeatedly marking places and objects over time," as if subsequent generations are reinforcing the symbol's protection. "The oldest securely dated marks are the mid-13th-century examples on door frames at Donington le Heath Manor House in Leicestershire."

Marks in a 400-year-old barn in Hertfordshire

BBC News

5. The best piece of advice for a witch markings hunter...

So, if you want to look for some yourself, where to start? There are a few red herrings to watch out for – mason's marks, carpenter's notches and even 20th-century children's doodles have all been mistaken for witches' marks. Matthew has this advice: "The best places are entrances and void spaces within a building – so around doors and fireplaces – or even on the roof timbers. Generally places where it was thought that evil forces might enter a building."

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6. What to do if you find one...

Windows, cellar doors, hatches and chimney breasts are also good places to look. So if you do find something, check out the box and see how yours compares.

6 common witch markings

Clockwise from left:

• Hexfoil

• Concentric circles

• Butterfly cross

• VV and AM markings

• Spectacles

• Pelta (also known as Solomon's knot)

If you think you have seen a witch mark, email it to Matthew at info@medieval-graffiti.co.uk and he will take a look. "It's exciting to think," he concludes, "that there are undoubtedly others still out there awaiting discovery."

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